


Waves Around Them

by willowthorn



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 04:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17655854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowthorn/pseuds/willowthorn
Summary: It's been years, and while so many things have changed, some things still stay the same.





	Waves Around Them

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lancenoble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancenoble/gifts).



In the hollows of the evening, long after Cass could finally put away their work for the day, the slow hum of Apostolosian music echoes through the now empty halls. It would be hours until everyone arrived, last he checked.

There had been drinks when he first touched down, sparkling and the colour of pale sunlight. Cass insisted it was just a formality, that they could bring out something else - soda, beer, coffee, whatever. Mako shrugged, swirling the flute between his fingers absently. 

Their conversation was stilted. It had never been easy, automatic. Not at first. Not now. The familiarity of time and space fell apart by inches, by years, and in moving forward they had lost something of what they were.

But all the same, Mako missed how Cass looked tucking a stray lock of hair behind their ear. He missed how Cass looked, strong jaw and yellow eyes bright and focused on him, like they could see everything he was without being told. Like they could take him apart just by asking.

He must have said something, his mouth moving quicker than his brain because next he knows Cass is looking at him - really looking, gaze measured and clinical. 

"Come with me." They held out their hand, and who was he to refuse? 

They bring their drinks with them, gliding through the halls. He hears the echo of their steps, feels the weight of history barely held up by the pillars lining the walls. This place is ancient, he thinks to himself, marveling even as Cass' grip on his hand changes into something more familiar, more relaxed.

"It's something else in person, huh?" They remember Aria and Mako slouched against them, laughing through handfuls of popcorn as Cass groaned at the propaganda playing in front of them, AuDy offering to spike their drink in sympathy. 

"I can't believe you actually grew up here." He runs his thumb absently over the back of Cass' hand, the texture of their scales soothing some deep restless part of him.

"It's not exactly 'homey', is it?" Cass' laugh almost isn't, wrapped up in their breath. "But.. It's not bad. I almost missed... Not it. Not this building. But, well, that." They gesture, and Mako finally sees the great expanse of black beyond the pillars for what it is - the ocean, waves so close that they skimmed marble steps. They're littered with soft lights - boats, or airships, or florescent things Mako had only read about but never seen. The cool night air, heavy with salt, carries him closer. Cass trails behind him as he crashes against the low wall separating him from the ocean. 

"Holy shit!" Mako breathes, bending to try and let his fingers skim the waves. Cass' hand is on the small of his back, keeping him in place as his leg kicks out for balance. "Has this always been here?"

"No, we just have gills for the aesthetic." Cass scoffs, and when Mako looks back there's a smile on their face.

"I knew it." Mako grins, that last bit of tension easing away. They're still Cass. He's still Mako. They'll be fine. 

"We can go in, you know. Nothing will eat us."

"Sure, sure. Maybe they won't eat you, but I happen to know I'm delicious." Mako grins wider as Cass' breathy laugh comes again. He missed that, he missed the way Cass laughed for him, as if they didn't fully expect the joke, as if it's a big secret that they laugh at all. It's not the bitter bark of laughter they sometimes have, it's not a snort at one of AuDy's derisive and deadpan comments (though that itself was charming). Their laugh was... It pulled at something nestled deep in his chest. 

"So are you coming or what?" Mako blinks, and Cas is over the wall, their shoes kicked off haphazardly beside him. They look over their shoulder at him, their dress trailing in the water, pale fabric dyed dark blue by the movement of waves. Their scales glitter, reflecting the light behind them. He can feel his breath hitch.

Mako scrambles over the low wall, kicking off his shoes in the process while he curses Cass' long legs and how ding-dang distracting their laugh was. It wasn't fair. Mako shuffles carefully over the wet marble, jumping as a particularly large wave washes over his calves.

"It's freezing! Cass!" He whines, nearly slipping as he hops from foot to foot.

"I'm not going to resuscitate you if you slip and drown in the shallows." They say, but their hand is firm against his arm, ready to support his weight if he falls. 

"Awh, thanks buddy." Mako takes a moment to find his balance, patting Cass' shoulder when he feels steady enough. Cass moves away slowly, their touch lingering just a moment too long. But maybe that was just the drinks talking. 

They stay like that for a while, Mako breathing in salt air slowly, purposefully, the glint of distant lights reflected in his eyes, a lazy grin on his lips. Cass slips their hand in his and it feels natural. Cass puts their hand on his cheek, and that feels right too. The water isn't cold anymore, just a welcome steady movement. If he focuses - and it's hard to focus with Cass' hand on his cheek - the rise and fall almost matches his breath.

"Cass?"

"Shh. Just let me look at you." Mako feels his heart catch in his throat, lips partying as he looks up at Cass. 

It might just be his imagination, might just be too many shitty romcoms and late nights making his weird-ass brain glitch out, but for a second he hears music rise above the rhythmic beat of waves, different than what had been playing inside. It's the same tempo, but it feels somehow more honest, more intimate. Cass' hand falls away, their gills flaring in anger. "I swear if I find the joker responsible..."

"Wait," Mako cuts them off, turning their face back to him gently. "Chill, dude. It's ok, I don't even mind. It's kinda nice."

Cass scoffs, relaxing under his touch with a deep breath. "I'm never going to hear the end of this."

"Hell no, it'll be all over the tabloids in the morning - 'Fishy Prince Hooks Midnight Mystery Date'." That gets a snort out of Cass, Mako hand falling away as they take a step back.

"Well, shall we?" They offer their hand after tucking that annoyingly charming stray lock of hair behind their ear. "Might as well give them something to write about."

It takes Mako a second to process what the hand, the music meant before it all comes rushing back. 

He remembers the press of hands against his own, the slight movement of his partner's grip setting him up to glide across the floor. They had moved with clumsy grace, slouching towards each other, pressing closer where there should have been distance, the thrum of music hiding his shuddering breath. He remembers his name shaped by a lover's lips, lost in the dance. He remembers so much of that night with painful clarity. He remembers the exact feeling of being asked, the exact sound he had made when his palms ended up a bit too sweaty to be totally sexy. He doesn't think that he could ever forget it, not here, not after everything. 

Mako wonders if Cass can tell he's holding his breath. They look down at him, brow raised with their hand extended, waiting still. He swallows thickly, his hand twitching out to meet theirs, and he cannot help but feel like this should be different, like he should have that same feeling of butterflies and young love. Not this heavy, weird feeling. 

Mako Trig does not dance, not anymore. 

He's told himself this many times. He's told Lazer Ted this. He's told strangers at the bar this. He should've told Cass this. 

And yet, Cass' hand is steady against his own. It had been so long, and for a second all he can see is the fine lines around Cass' eyes, the hints of grey at their temples. They wear it well, and their hand is so warm against the chill of the night air. 

"Hey." Cass calls him back easily, voice gentle and low. "Dance with me?" 

"Okay."

They move slowly, at first. Mako breathes deeply as Cass guides him closer, promising to not let him slip. There's strength in their hands, their wrists, and it's so easy to lean into the motion. The water slips around them, and they sway together with it, feeling out the rise and fall. 

Mako relaxes by inches, playfully guiding Cass' hand to his hip as the melody picks up. He pushes deeper into the step, letting his hips sway in a way he knew would distract both himself and Cass. It was so much easier to stay present when he could just focus on the blush rising on Cass' cheeks instead, the way they tried so hard to play it cool by looking out into the waves as if Mako couldn't feel their thumb rub against the curve of his hip. 

"Awh buddy, don't get all shy on me. You're doing great." He pats Cass' shoulder gently. 

"I'm not shy."

"Sure you're not, you just think I'm sexy." Mako purrs, pressing closer. It feels easier like this. Cass is leading, sure, but Mako sets the pace. They're attentive, knowing when to hold steady and when to grip a bit tighter so he doesn't get swept away. It doesn't feel the same, and maybe that's ok right now. Maybe it's ok with just the two of them. 

Cass laughs, full and deep. They're close enough that Mako can feel it vibrate in his chest, and while that's not a fully new sensation, it snaps his mind back to the present. 

"And here I was worried you'd changed." There's relief there, a tension easing from their shoulders under Mako's hand. 

"Me? Nah, I got my man Ted keeping me grounded." Who should be showing up any time. He had just been finishing up before coming to join Mako on Apostolos, but that was something for later. "Now come on, you wanted to dance, so show me how, Mx. Fancy Formal Dance Lessons." 

"Alright." Cass breathes deeply, adjusting their stance slightly. "Just.. tell me if I'm going too fast." 

It starts with a simple push, their hand pressing just slightly on his hip before leaving, Mako spinning out slightly before being pulled back in, his foot automatically stepping forward to catch his momentum as Cass steps back, leading him into slightly deeper waters. Mako gasps as Cass catches him easily, their hand circling from his hip to his lower back. It's so easy to follow, it's so easy to feel the chill of waves as they splash around the both of them. 

He's in thigh deep by the time the song finishes, pressed flush against Cass's chest, their hands firmly entwined. His back arches as he breathes deeply, flushed from dancing in the weight of water. Away from shore Cass' eyes seem to glow, a satisfied look on their face. His heart is pounding.

"Oh, fuck it." Mako says in a rush, dropping out of Cass' grip to wrap his arms around their neck, fingers knotting in the base of Cass' hair. They collapse into each other, those brilliant yellow eyes going wide before Cass tilts Mako's face to meet their own. 

"I missed you, shit." Mako says between kisses, hands roaming to skim over Cass' face, cupping cheeks and thumbs skimming over fine lines. "God you're still so pretty. Rude."

Cass leans into the touch, turning their head to kiss his palms. "Weirdo."

"You love me." 

"You're right, I do." 

And for the moment, with waves around them and the swell of music starting up again, that was true enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This is like the fourth version of this dang prompt I've written. I'm so sorry I'm like this.


End file.
